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Two Handball World Championships in Sweden Separated by 30 years (Part 1): Nostalgia and and a Little Bit of Deja Vu

30 years ago I was a member of the U.S. National Team that participated in the 1993 World Championships in Sweden. This week, Team USA returns to Sweden for the 2023 World Championships and I can’t help but feel nostalgic along with a little bit of deja vu. Deja vu, in the sense that while handball has changed and evolved in many ways the U.S. is simply right back where we were 30 years ago.

A Seminal Experience

Anyone who knows me or has followed this website is well aware that I have a great deal of passion for the sport of handball. Where does that passion come from? Well, much of it can be attributed to my participation in the 1993 WC. I was already passionate about the sport, but having the opportunity to represent my country and play against the best handball athletes on a world stage had a super charging effect. Further, my participation was unexpected. I had actually been cut from 1 of 4 Olympic Festival teams (an annual event used in part to evaluate prospects) a year and half earlier. I though my career was over, and instead I ended up starting on defense and playing just about as good as my limited skills and talent would allow. And, now the U.S. returns to a World Championship in Sweden 30 years later. How could I not be nostalgic?

Familiar Faces

Here are some names from my 1993 experience and the role they now will have at the 2023 WC.

  • U.S. Head Coach, Robert Hedin: Yes, as you can see from the old Swedish newspaper clipping, Coach Hedin played against the U.S. in our forgettable 32-16 loss to the Swedes at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. How forgettable? Coach Hedin had literally forgotten that he had even played against the U.S. back in 1993 when I first mentioned it to him during an interview. He remembered playing against the U.S. at the 1996 Olympics, but had totally forgotten this classic. Clearly not a seminal moment for him. (Interview from 2018 shortly after he was hired: Link)
  • U.S. Asst Coach, Darrick Heath: Heath, is one of the all time best back courts for the U.S. and was also on the 93 USA Team. So the U.S. coaching staff will be returning to Sweden 30 years later, but this time Hedin and Heath will be working together on the same team.
  • Netherlands Head Coach, Stefan Olsson: Olsson was briefly the USA Team Handball High Performance Manager and is now the coach of the Netherlands. I’m thinking he’s also forgotten the U.S. match 30 years ago. If he remembers, he did not play well and I like to think I played a part in that. (Even if it’s not true… that’s how I like to remember it.)

Familiar Voices

Just how long has Paul Bray been commentating handball? 30 years ago he was the voice on EuroSport, cracking up the USA team with “barging, giving up the far post” and other British colloquialisms that sounded pretty funny to our American ears.

Familiar Backgrounds

Striking to me are some athletes on the rosters with similar backgrounds:

  • Darrick Heath (1993) / Gary Hines (2023): Much like Gary Hines was the “jumping out of the gym” crowd favorite at the warm up tourney in Trondheim, Darrick Heath was the crowd favorite back in 1993. It’s not very often one can actually hear a crowd collectively gasp, but that’s exactly what happened in Gothenburg the first time Darrick launched a jump shot off a 9 meter throw. Seriously, in that one very narrow skill of a 9 meter jump shot behind a wall Darrick might well be the all time greatest.

    And, here’s a side note on Gary that makes me feel just a little bit younger. Way back in 2004 I played my last competitive matches at the USA National Championships with Gary on the Condors club team. As long as he keeps winning the battle vs Father Time I get to watch Team USA and keep saying, “Yeah, I played with him.”
  • John Keller (1993) / Ty Reed (2023): They play a different position (Right Back for Keller; Right Wing for Reed), but they both played for NCAA Division 1 football teams (North Carolina for Keller; Alabama for Reed).
  • John Ryan (1993) / Drew Donlin (2023): Both Circle Runners; Both Air Force Academy Graduates; Both Captains and while Drew is the Space Force and I was in the Air Force, I was working Space acquisition before Donald Trump made it cool. The similarities pretty much end there, though. While I was a serviceable defensive specialist no one was plucking me out of the lineup to go play in the Liga ASOBAL for a couple of years.

Similar Teams and Deja Vu?

I write this with a question mark because we’re talking different eras and I’m pretty sure this USA team is not going to finish dead last with no wins like we did back in 1993. That said, I like to think that if we had played with an expanded field of 32 teams (instead of a 16 team field) we wouldn’t have finished 32nd.

We were a side that played hard and showed some potential. Darrick Heath parlayed his performance into a professional career. Several of my teammates continued playing and became Olympians 3 years later. The U.S. continued to improve and started to play closer matches vs the top teams. Why does Coach Hedin remember his match against the U.S. at the 96 Olympics? Because three years after clobbering us by 16 goals they had to sweat out a 4 goal win in Atlanta.

The jury is still out on this 2023 team, but the warmup tourney in Trondheim suggests that we will see a team that will sometimes be way out of its league (losing 27-12 to Norway in the 1st half) and at times pretty competitive (losing 16-14 to Norway in the 2nd half). Much like the U.S. team was back in 1993. (Our two halves vs Sweden in 1993: Link)

And, perhaps just like 1993 we could see some players turn some heads. It won’t shock me at all if Abou Fofana and/or Ian Huter with the great exposure provided by the World Championships get some offers from bigger clubs.

It’s also pretty clear to me that we will be watching the core nucleus of our 2028 Olympic team. There are a few players on the roster that will likely age out, but the bulk of this roster is in their early to mid 20s. Why, I see as many as 10 athletes on the current roster suiting up in Los Angeles in 2028. And, unlike our 93 team they will have 5 years instead of 3 to further develop as a team. So while this 2023 team is in a similar place to the 1993 team they have far greater potential.

I think Abou Fofana said it best when he was asked on Instagram, “What should Americans look out for when they watch this team?”

All, I can say is… I wholeheartedly concur with his assessment

But, while there are some similarities between these two teams, there’s one huge difference that would have been inconceivable to me and my teammates 30 years ago. And, that is a roster consisting mostly of Americans who grew up in another country. I’ll explain why in part 2 this is not really something to be concerned about… if we take full advantage of this good fortune to really focus on efforts to develop handball stateside.

Some links to check out

  • Team USA results at previous Handball World Championships: Link
  • Handball FAQ: Link
  • Commentaries on Handball in the U.S.: Link (Have you ever wondered about why the U.S. doesn’t try x, y or z, to become a handball power? Chances are you’ll find my opinion here)

Olympic Handball Preview (8 Aug: Women’s Gold and Bronze Medal Matches)

  • These 2 Semifinal matches will be played in Japan on Sunday, 8 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 1100 and 1500
    • CET Match start times: 0400 and 0800
    • US ET Match start times: 2200 (Saturday) and 0200
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Bracket

  • Norway (-4) vs Sweden (Saturday, 2200 US ET; Sunday, 0400 CET; Sunday 1100 Local)
    • Broadcast live in the U.S. on CNBC
  • Russia (-1) vs France (Sunday, 0200 US ET; Sunday, 0800 CET; Sunday 1500 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (7 Aug: Men’s Gold and Bronze Medal Matches)

  • These Men’s Gold and Bronze Medal matches will be played in Japan on Saturday, 7 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 1700 and 2100
    • CET Match start times: 1000 and 1400
    • US ET Match start times: 0400 and 0800
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Bracket

  • Egypt vs Spain (-0.5) (Saturday, 0400 US ET; Saturday, 1000 CET; Saturday 1700 Local)
  • France vs Denmark(-1.5) (Saturday, 0800 US ET; Saturday, 1400 CET; Saturday 2100 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (6 Aug: Women’s Semifinals)

  • These 2 Semifinal matches will be played in Japan on Friday, 6 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 1700 and 2100
    • CET Match start times: 1000 and 1400
    • US ET Match start times: 0400 and 0800
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Bracket

  • France (-1) vs Sweden (Friday, 0400 US ET; Friday, 1000 CET; Friday 1700 Local)
  • Norway (-2.5) vs Russia (Friday, 0800 US ET; Friday, 1400 CET; Friday 2100 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (5 Aug: Men’s Semifinals)

  • These 2 Semifinal matches will be played in Japan on Thursday, 5 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 1700 and 2100
    • CET Match start times: 1000 and 1400
    • US ET Match start times: 0400 and 0800
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Bracket

  • France (-1.5) vs Egypt (Thursday, 0400 US ET; Thursday, 1000 CET; Thursday 1700 Local)
  • Spain vs Denmark(-2.5) (Thursday, 0745 US ET; Thursday, 1345 CET; Thursday 2045 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (4 Aug: Women’s Quarterfinals)

  • These 4 Quarterfinal matches will be played in Japan on Wednesday, 4 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0930, 1315, 1700 and 2045
    • CET Match start times: 0230, 0615, 1000 and 1345
    • US ET Match start times: 2030 (day before), 0015, 0400 and 0745
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Bracket

  • Montenegro vs Russia (-4) (Tuesday, 2030 US ET; Wednesday, 0230 CET; Wednesday, 0930 Local)
  • Norway (-7.5) vs Hungary (Wednesday, 0015 US ET; Wednesday, 0615 CET; Wednesday 1315 Local)
  • Sweden (-4) vs S Korea (Wednesday, 0400 US ET; Wednesday, 1000 CET; Wednesday 1700 Local)
  • France (-0.5) vs Netherlands (Wednesday, 0745 US ET; Wednesday, 1345 CET; Wednesday 2045 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (3 Aug: Men’s Quarterfinals)

  • These 4 Quarterfinal matches will be played in Japan on Tuesday, 3 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0930, 1315, 1700 and 2045
    • CET Match start times: 0230, 0615, 1000 and 1345
    • US ET Match start times: 2030 (day before), 0015, 0400 and 0745
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Bracket

  • France (-9) vs Bahrain (Monday, 2030 US ET; Tuesday, 0230 CET; Tuesday, 0930 Local)
  • Sweden vs Spain (-0.5) (Tuesday, 0015 US ET; Tuesday, 0615 CET; Tuesday 1315 Local)
  • Denmark (-2.5) vs Norway (Tuesday, 0400 US ET; Tuesday, 1000 CET; Tuesday 1700 Local)
  • Germany (-0.5) vs Egypt (Tuesday, 0745 US ET; Tuesday, 1345 CET; Tuesday 2045 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (2 Aug: Women’s Group Play; Match Day 5)

  • These 6 Group Play matches will be played in Japan on Monday, 2 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0900, 1100, 1415, 1615, 1930 and 2130
    • CET Match start times: 0200, 0400, 0715, 0915, 1230, 1430
    • US ET Match start times: 2000, 2200 (day before); 0115, 0315, 0630, 0830
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal
  • NBC Live Streams Replays

Group A

Group A Standings Prior to Match Day 5
  • S Korea (-2.5) vs Angola (Sunday, 2000 US ET; Monday, 0200 CET; Monday, 0900 Local)
  • Netherlands (-3) vs Montenegro vs S Korea (Monday, 0630 US ET; Monday, 1230 CET; Monday, 1930 Local)
  • Norway (-6.5) vs Japan (Monday, 0830 US ET; Monday, 1430 CET; Monday, 2130 Local)

Group B

Group B Standings Prior to Match Day 5
  • France (-3.5) vs Brazil (Sunday, 2200 US ET; Monday, 0400 CET; Monday, 1100 Local)
  • Spain vs Russia (-2.5) (Monday, 0115 US ET; Monday, 0715 CET; Monday, 1415 Local)
  • Hungary (-1) vs Sweden (Monday, 0315 US ET; Monday, 0915 CET; Monday, 1615 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (1 Aug: Men’s Group Play; Match Day 5)

  • These 6 Group Play matches will be played in Japan on Sunday, 1 August
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0900, 1100, 1415, 1615, 1930 and 2130
    • CET Match start times: 0200, 0400, 0715, 0915, 1230, 1430
    • US ET Match start times: 2000, 2200 (day before); 0115, 0315, 0630, 0830
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Group A

Group A Standings Prior to Match Day 5
  • Spain (-6) vs Argentina (Sunday, 0115 US ETSunday, 0715 CET; Sunday, 1415 Local)
  • Norway vs France (-0.5) (Sunday, 0315 US ETSunday, 0915 CET; Sunday 1615 Local)
  • Germany (-6) vs Brazil (Sunday, 0630 US ETSunday, 1230 CET; Sunday, 1930 Local)

Group B

Group B Standings Prior to Match Day 5
  • Portugal (-4.5) vs Japan (Saturday, 2000 US ETSunday, 0200 CET; Sunday, 0900 Local)
  • Egypt (-4.5) vs Bahrain (Saturday, 2200 US ETSunday, 0400 CET; Sunday, 1100 Local)
  • Denmark (-3.5) vs Sweden (Sunday, 0830 US ETSunday, 1430 CET; Sunday, 2130 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (31 Jul: Women’s Group Play; Match Day 4)

  • These 6 Group Play matches will be played in Japan on Saturday, 31 July
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0900, 1100, 1415, 1615, 1930 and 2130
    • CET Match start times: 0200, 0400, 0715, 0915, 1230, 1430
    • US ET Match start times: 2000, 2200 (day before); 0115, 0315, 0630, 0830
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal
  • NBC Live Streams Replays

Group A

Group A Standings Prior to Match Day 4
  • Angola vs Japan (-1) (Friday, 2000 US ET; Saturday, 0200 CET; Saturday, 0900 Local)
  • Montenegro (-1) vs S Korea (Friday, 2200 US ET; Saturday, 0400 CET; Saturday, 1100 Local)
  • Norway (-4) vs Netherlands (Saturday, 0830 US ET; Saturday, 1430 CET; Saturday, 2130 Local)
    • Rebroadcast in the U.S at 9:45 AM US ET on the NBC Sports Network

Group B

Group B Standings Prior to Match Day 4
  • Russia vs France (Pick’em) (Saturday, 0115 US ET; Saturday, 0715 CET; Saturday, 1415 Local)
  • Brazil vs Sweden (-3.5) (Saturday, 0315 US ET; Saturday, 0915 CET; Saturday, 1615 Local)
  • Hungary vs Spain (-2.5) (Saturday, 0630 US ET; Saturday, 1230 CET; Saturday, 1930 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (30 Jul: Men’s Group Play; Match Day 4)

  • These 6 Group Play matches will be played in Japan on Friday, 30 July
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0900, 1100, 1415, 1615, 1930 and 2130
    • CET Match start times: 0200, 0400, 0715, 0915, 1230, 1430
    • US ET Match start times: 2000, 2200 (day before); 0115, 0315, 0630, 0830
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Group A

Group A Standings Prior to Match Day 4
  • Argentina vs Brazil (-.5) (Thursday, 2000 US ETFriday, 0200 CET; Friday, 0900 Local)
  • France vs Spain (Pick’em) (Friday, 0115 US ETFriday, 0715 CET; Friday, 1415 Local)
  • Germany vs Norway (-1) (Friday, 0830 US ETFriday, 1430 CET; Friday, 2130 Local)

Group B

Group B Standings Prior to Match Day 4
  • Bahrain vs Japan (-1) (Thursday, 2200 US ETFriday, 0400 CET; Friday, 1100 Local)
  • Sweden (-1) vs Egypt (Friday, 0315 US ETFriday, 0915 CET; Friday, 1615 Local)
  • Portugal vs Denmark (-5.5) (Friday, 0630 US ETFriday, 1230 CET; Friday, 1930 Local)

Olympic Handball Preview (29 Jul: Women’s Group Play; Match Day 3) —

  • These 6 Group Play matches will be played in Japan on Tuesday, 27 July
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0900, 1100, 1415, 1615, 1930 and 2130
    • CET Match start times: 0200, 0400, 0715, 0915, 1230, 1430
    • US ET Match start times: 2000, 2200 (day before); 0115, 0315, 0630, 0830
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal
  • NBC Live Streams Replays

Group A

Group A Standings Prior to Match Day 2
  • Netherlands (-7.5) vs Angola (Wednesday, 2000 US ET; Thursday, 0200 CET; Thursday, 0900 Local)
  • Japan vs S Korea (-3) (Thursday, 0115 US ET; Thursday, 0715 CET; Thursday, 1415 Local)
  • Montenegro vs Norway (-5.5) (Thursday, 0315 US ET; Thursday, 0915 CET; Thursday, 1615 Local)
    • Rebroadcast in the U.S at 11:15 AM US ET on the NBC Sports Network

Group B

Group B Standings Prior to Match Day 2
  • Spain (-1) vs Brazil (-2.5) (Wednesday, 2200 US ET; Thursday, 0400 CET; Thursday, 1100 Local)
  • Hungary vs Russia (-3) (Thursday, 0630 US ET; Thursday, 1230 CET; Thursday, 1930 Local)
  • Sweden vs France (-1) (Thursday, 0830 US ET; Thursday, 1430 CET; Thursday, 2130 Local)
    • Rebroadcast in the U.S at 2:00 PM US ET on the NBC Sports Network

Olympic Handball Preview (28 Jul: Men’s Group Play; Match Day 3)

  • These 6 Group Play matches will be played in Japan on Wednesday, 28 July
  • Japan is 7 hours ahead of CET; 13 hours ahead of US ET
    • Japan (Local) Match start times: 0900, 1100, 1415, 1615, 1930 and 2130
    • CET Match start times: 0200, 0400, 0715, 0915, 1230, 1430
    • US ET Match start times: 2000, 2200 (day before); 0115, 0315, 0630, 0830
  • Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal

Group A

Group A Standings Prior to Match Day 3
  • Norway (-7.5) vs Argentina (Wednesday, 0315 US ET; Wednesday, 0915 CET; Wednesday, 1615 Local)
  • Brazil vs Spain (-5.5) (Wednesday, 0630 US ETWednesday, 1230 CET; Wednesday, 1930 Local)
  • France (-1.5) vs Germany (Wednesday, 0830 US ETWednesday, 1430 CET; Wednesday, 2130 Local)
    • Rebroadcast in the U.S. on the NBC Sports Network at 1:30 PM US ET

Group B

Group B Standings Prior to Match Day 3
  • Denmark (-9.5) vs Bahrain (Tuesday, 2000 US ETWednesday, 0200 CET; Wednesday, 0900 Local)
  • Sweden (-1.5) vs Portugal (Tuesday, 2200 US ETWednesday, 0400 CET; Wednesday, 1100 Local)
  • Japan vs Egypt (-6) (Wednesday, 0115 US ETWednesday, 0715 CET; Wednesday, 1415 Local)